Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[Alan Klein]

I would throw the whole tax code and regulations out and start over from scratch. Maybe look at a flat tax.

Flat tax was discussed many years ago.  It was a hot issue at the time. They never could get it passed.

[faberryman]

It's all unconstitutional.  The constitution allows the government to pay for an army, a post office, etc. but not to pay to bailout unions and corporations.  Where's the Supreme Court when you really need them to stop this practice?

The Supreme Court has a different view from you about what is constitutional and unconstitutional. Under our system of government, they get to decide, not you. Of course, you don't have to like it.

[Alan Klein]

The Supreme Court has a different view from you about what is constitutional and unconstitutional. Under our system of government, they get to decide, not you. Of course, you don't have to like it.

Well, I was hoping that Biden would put me on his shortlist for justices when he packs the Supreme Court. 

[Alan Klein]

My wife tells me I'm wasting my time on LuLa and should get something better to do.

[faberryman]

Flat tax was discussed many years ago.  It was a hot issue at the time. They never could get it passed.

Doesn't mean it wasn't a good idea. There is something about Trump getting to deduct the cost of his haircuts that bothers me. Does he really need a tax incentive to get a haircut? There are thousands of examples of nonsense like that scattered throughout the tax code. We need to throw the whole thing out and start over.

[Chris Kern]

Also, as an aside, the attempts above to paint the federal government as especially bad is quite funny given the hilarious track record of incompetent state legislatures. I mean, guys, are you serious? Didn't one of your states attempt to redefine the value of 𝛑 once?

Yessir, a bill was introduced in the Indiana state legislature in 1897 that undertook, inter alia, to do just that.  It was a noble effort, and while it may have provoked great hilarity at the time and was never enacted, any sensible person surely knows it would have made life simpler for generations of students.  Who needs all those damned digits to the right of the decimal point?  Nobody can remember more than a few of them, anyway.  It's yet another example of how the so-called experts indoctrinate our young people with their left-wing political beliefs.  "Live Free or Pi" is my motto.

[faberryman]

Because it's obviously a political position that Biden told them to take.  It's all part of Democrats and the administration using the race card to justify HR1 voting law changes and pass other liberal laws. By getting the CDC involved, they'll claim that racism is systemic.  The Democrats will justify their social policies based on "science".   Meanwhile, CDC credibility on real virus issues will soon be in the toilet.

Here is a link to the CDC's statement. Why not read it and explain to us what is said therein that you disagree with and why?

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0408-racism-health.html

[LesPalenik]

Flat tax was discussed many years ago.  It was a hot issue at the time. They never could get it passed.

Russia and a few other East European countries use flat tax rates.

[Robert Roaldi]

Because it's obviously a political position that Biden told them to take.  ...

Obviously?

[John Camp]

My wife tells me I'm wasting my time on LuLa and should get something better to do.

Sounds like a smart woman.

[Alan Klein]

Here is a link to the CDC's statement. Why not read it and explain to us what is said therein that you disagree with and why?

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0408-racism-health.html

The Democrats are disgracefully pulling the race card again. It's all politics.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/racism-disparities/index.html

[faberryman]

The Democrats are disgracefully pulling the race card again. It's all politics.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/racism-disparities/index.html

Anything you specifically disagree with at that link?

I wonder whether playing the "playing the race card" card isn't as objectionable.

[Alan Klein]

Here is a link to the CDC's statement. Why not read it and explain to us what is said therein that you disagree with and why?

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0408-racism-health.html

The CDC claims without any investigation, just on the face of it, that racism has caused health problems with minorities.  They didn't write these reports.  They were written by people who want to promote the race card to pass liberal legislation. Where is the science behind these charges for those who operate on science, not conjecture?  The CDC has made the determination that it's racism not poor eating habits, smoking, drugs, the breakup of the black family (70% single-family households) mainly caused by welfare and other social support systems promoted by Democrats.  The Democrat will use the position of the CDC as the main health organization of the US Government to "prove" racism and give cover for social legislation the Democrats want to pass from voting rules, to taxes, to redistribution of wealth, and socialism.

 

[PeterAit]

I thought that boat sailed a couple of days ago when the CDC said soap and water is good enough.

If you're talking about covid, soap and water are good enough. Soap kills the virus and the washing sends it down the drain.

[PeterAit]

Germany is spending less than the 2% they promised to pay.  That forces America to make up the difference in US troops to protect their country.  Why is the US doing that?  They're the richest country in Europe but failed to meet their obligations and promises. Meanwhile, the money spent on our troops there can not be spent on America's social needs while Germany has all their great social programs paid for.  How is that fair to American taxpayers like you and me?

No one forces the US to have troops in Germany or anywhere else. Why blame the Germans? Pull the troops out and if the Germans then feel threatened thay can do something about it.

[faberryman]

The CDC claims without any investigation, just on the face of it, that racism has caused health problems with minorities.

How did you determine that the CDC made their claims without any investigation?

They didn't write these reports.

What reports?

They were written by people who want to promote the race card to pass liberal legislation.

Assuming you can identify the reports, how did you determine that the reports "were written by people who want to promote the race card to pass liberal legislation."

Where is the science behind these charges for those who operate on science, not conjecture?

I'll need you to specify the reports that you are referring to you to identify the science therein. I am pretty sure I could find a lot of science supporting these claims using Google, but you would probably dismiss all of it as "written by people who want to promote the race card to pass liberal legislation", so it's hardly worth the effort to assemble it for you.

 
The CDC has made the determination that it's racism not poor eating habits, smoking, drugs, the breakup of the black family (70% single-family households) mainly caused by welfare and other social support systems promoted by Democrats.

Do you think that those causes are mutually exclusive or not interrelated?

How did you determine that "poor eating habits, smoking, drugs, the breakup of the black family (70% single-family households) [were] mainly caused by welfare and other social support systems promoted by Democrats"?

The Democrat will use the position of the CDC as the main health organization of the US Government to "prove" racism and give cover for social legislation the Democrats want to pass from voting rules, to taxes, to redistribution of wealth, and socialism.

That does not sound plausible to me. There is so much other research and data, why would Democrats rely on a policy statement from the CDC to "prove" racism?

It sounds to me that you don't believe racism exists. I am not sure if you believe racism never existed, or you believe racism existed some time in the past, but has now disappeared. If you believe racism used to exist but has now disappeared, around about when did racism disappear? If racism used to exist but has now disappeared, have all of the consequences of racism disappear as well. Around about when did that happen?

[PeterAit]

Packing the Supreme Court. The court moves left and right over time. Biden will get his chance to nominate liberal justices. Leave it at that.

Because of the way we've handled it in the last few decades, respect for the court has waned. If we pack it though, all respect will be lost. That's dangerous. If it's "packed", I could see a time very soon when their decisions will be ignored. Then what?

The court has lost a lot of respect over the Trump years.

1) Gorsuch's appointment is viewed as illegitimate because it came about due to McConnell blocking Garland for, what was it, 10 months? Gorsuch has turned out to be a respectable, qualified, and qualified jurist, more to the right than I like but that's the way things work. But he just shouldn't be there.
2) Kavanaugh revealed to the whole world, during his confirmation hearings, that he is a serial perjurer.
3) Barrett is at best borderline qualified and some of her past statements about religion would curl the hair of anyone who respects the 1st amendment.

I do not like the idea of packing the court for political purposes. But I have read good arguments that it should be increased because of a much greater case load that 9 justices simply cannot handle. The court has had 9 justices since 1869!!!

[Jim Pascoe]

Germany is spending less than the 2% they promised to pay.  That forces America to make up the difference in US troops to protect their country.  Why is the US doing that?  They're the richest country in Europe but failed to meet their obligations and promises. Meanwhile, the money spent on our troops there can not be spent on America's social needs while Germany has all their great social programs paid for.  How is that fair to American taxpayers like you and me?

You seem to bring this up quite regularly. Ask your representatives the question. One thing is for sure, it’s not just out of the pure goodness of the US’s heart now is it?  It’s probably cheaper and much more militarily effective than having to park a fleet of aircraft carriers around the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean and North Sea to monitor and challenge Russian adventures. And what makes you think the US wants to cut military expenditure?  There’s a lot of profit in making the tools of war and to justify that you need potential enemies all around. Imagine the mass unemployment and ruination of pension schemes if world peace suddenly happened.
Not that I’m at all cynical.....

[Alan Klein]

How did you determine that the CDC made their claims without any investigation?

What reports?

Assuming you can identify the reports, how did you determine that the reports "were written by people who want to promote the race card to pass liberal legislation."

I'll need you to specify the reports that you are referring to you to identify the science therein. I am pretty sure I could find a lot of science supporting these claims using Google, but you would probably dismiss all of it as "written by people who want to promote the race card to pass liberal legislation", so it's hardly worth the effort to assemble it for you.

Do you think that those causes are mutually exclusive or not interrelated?

How did you determine that "poor eating habits, smoking, drugs, the breakup of the black family (70% single-family households) [were] mainly caused by welfare and other social support systems promoted by Democrats"?

That does not sound plausible to me. There is so much other research and data, why would Democrats rely on a policy statement from the CDC to "prove" racism?

It sounds to me that you don't believe racism exists. I am not sure if you believe racism never existed, or you believe racism existed some time in the past, but has now disappeared. If you believe racism used to exist but has now disappeared, around about when did racism disappear? If racism used to exist but has now disappeared, have all of the consequences of racism disappear as well. Around about when did that happen?

So two months after Biden takes over, the CDC has already completed scientific studies that determined that racism is the cause of higher infection and deaths from Covid.  Where are their peer-reviewed scientific studies? Those are assumptions made by the CDC for political reasons.  It's convenient to blame racism because that is the game Democrats always play - using the race card to pass legislation they like.  Now they even have the CDC saying it to give their claims authority.

So now the CDC will be correctly identified as a tool of the administration instead of being independent medically and scientifically.  Any pronouncements from them going forward regarding Covid or anything else will be suspect.

You apparently didn't read the CDC's statements about this that were linked to above.  I'll copy them below for your convenience.  If you did, you would see their pronouncements are conclusive that racism is the cause, so says Walensky who's been Director for only two months.  Do you really believe she wrote these reports since then?  How did she make those conclusion so quickly?  Where are the CDC studies?
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0408-racism-health.html
https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/racism-disparities/index.html

Enclosed in their statement was a link to the "proof":  a seeming fifteen-year-old report from the Sullivan Commission, obviously nothing to do with Covid.  That's their peer-reviewed study?
https://www.google.com/search?q=A+REPORT+OF+THE+SULLIVAN+COMMISSION+ON+DIVERSITY+IN+THE+HEALTHCARE+WORKFORCE&rlz=1C1PQCZ_enUS902US902&oq=A+REPORT+OF+THE+SULLIVAN+COMMISSION+ON++DIVERSITY+IN+THE+HEALTHCARE+WORKFORCE&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[faberryman]

So two months after Biden takes over, the CDC has already completed scientific studies that determined that racism is the cause of higher infection and deaths from Covid.  Where are their peer-reviewed scientific studies? Those are assumptions made by the CDC for political reasons.  It's convenient to blame racism because that is the game Democrats always play - using the race card to pass legislation they like.  Now they even have the CDC saying it to give their claims authority.

So now the CDC will be correctly identified as a tool of the administration instead of being independent medically and scientifically.  Any pronouncements from them going forward regarding Covid or anything else will be suspect.

You apparently didn't read the CDC's statements about this that were linked to above.  I'll copy them below for your convenience.  If you did, you would see their pronouncements are conclusive that racism is the cause, so says Walensky who's been Director for only two months.  Do you really believe she wrote these reports since then?  How did she make those conclusion so quickly?  Where are the CDC studies?
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0408-racism-health.html
https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/racism-disparities/index.html

Enclosed in their statement was a link to the "proof":  a seeming fifteen-year-old report from the Sullivan Commission, obviously nothing to do with Covid.  That's their peer-reviewed study?
https://www.google.com/search?q=A+REPORT+OF+THE+SULLIVAN+COMMISSION+ON+DIVERSITY+IN+THE+HEALTHCARE+WORKFORCE&rlz=1C1PQCZ_enUS902US902&oq=A+REPORT+OF+THE+SULLIVAN+COMMISSION+ON++DIVERSITY+IN+THE+HEALTHCARE+WORKFORCE&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

That’s a pretty long answer for not having answered any of the questions I posed.